Final Ruling Against Part of Utah Polygamy Ban

By Duke Dance

Published on August 28, 2014 at 12:10PM

A federal judge in Utah has issued a final ruling that strikes down parts of the state’s anti-polygamy law, in a lawsuit filed by a family that appears on the TV show “Sister Wives.” U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups ruled in favor of the star of the TLC reality show in December, but the decision wasn’t finalized due to unresolved, procedural issues. The ruling is a landmark decision and a victory for the Brown family.

Kody Brown and his four wives sued Utah in 2011 after a county prosecutor threatened to charge them under the state’s bigamy law. Waddoups ruled that a provision in the law forbidding cohabitation violates the Brown’s freedom of religion. Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes said in February that he intends to appeal.